Conquest The Rise of Will Shore

Chapter 5: Whose general is this?

"You know, I'm always very good at judging people."

In a corner of Willard's Restaurant in Washington, Wang Shuo had just pulled out a high-end sofa and sat down when he was shocked to death by the opening remarks of Joe, the team owner.

"Yes, you are really good at judging people. You are either on the way to making a mistake or you have already made a mistake." After looking up at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and looking at Jordan who borrowed courage from Fish Leong, Wang Shuo had to admit that in a sense, he and Jordan were indeed the same type of people.

"I have always been confident in my vision, especially after you officially met everyone today, I am even more convinced that you are the type of coach we need." Jordan said after opening the cigar box and handing one to Wang Shuo.

Turtle!

Was the cigarette handed to me by my team owner Joe?

Sure enough, whether in the Rabbit family or the Eagle family, passing cigarettes is a traditional virtue.

As we all know, the correct way to smoke a cigar is not to smoke it through the lungs. Plus, it's no secret that Jordan likes to smoke cigars, so after taking the cigar from Jordan, Wang Shuo was more interested in why Jordan wanted to talk to him privately after the meeting.

"I'm telling you the truth, I don't trust Wes and the others. I know very well that the reason they support my comeback is only because my comeback will bring them a lot of benefits." Jordan said, looking at Wang Shuo seriously.

Wang Shuo nodded.

In the original historical line, the feud between Jordan and the Wizards management and team owner was indeed complicated and difficult to sort out.

Especially after the 01/02 season, Jordan hoped that the team could strengthen the lineup so that he could lead the team to avenge the previous defeat.

But the result...

The idea is good, but it's not Chris Paul.

"During the meeting, when you asked me about my personal goals, I did think about it for a long time. Now I want to ask you, in your opinion, what kind of goals should I set for myself, or in other words, what heights do you think I can achieve with this comeback?" Jordan asked.

After hearing this, Wang Shuo thought for a while and did not choose to answer Jordan's question directly. Instead, he asked, "Michael, in your opinion, what is the most important thing in playing basketball?"

Jordan said bluntly: "Of course I win."

Wang Shuo nodded and said, "Then I feel relieved."

Jordan was a little confused and asked, "What are you relieved about?"

Wang Shuo shrugged and said, "Because it turns out that I'm not the only one who believes that we can win the championship during your comeback."

Jordan: “…”

At this moment, looking at Wang Shuo, Jordan was shocked.

Because what he originally thought was that as long as Wang Shuo could give him a promise that they could make it to the playoffs, he would find a way to put pressure on the Wizards management in the following period of time and ask them to strengthen the team's lineup in the summer.

but......

How crazy is Wang Shuo’s answer?

even......

Holy crap! Is this guy trying to make me believe Michael Jordan?

I am the "God of Basketball", the founder of two dynasties of the Bulls, but I was lied to. Can you believe it?

At this moment, even Jordan, who had seen countless big scenes, was unable to calm down in a short period of time.

On the other hand, after noticing Jordan's expression, Wang Shuo said slowly: "I have watched the team's games this season. The biggest problem is the lack of fighting spirit and backbone. The players are playing on their own.

But thanks to the poor record this season, we will definitely get a good pick in this year's draft.

This year's rookies have some good players who can play right away. Although it is still in the planning stage, if we can make one or two trades in the summer, our overall strength will definitely be improved compared to this season. "

After gradually coming to his senses, Jordan did not refute what Wang Shuo said.

Because in fact, if Jordan's vision wasn't too "good", the foundation of this Wizards team is indeed not bad.

And even if team owner Joe has a "unique" vision, in the original historical line, the Wizards were just one step away from making the playoffs for two consecutive seasons.

But this is obviously far from what Wang Shuo said about challenging for the championship.

Seeing this, Wang Shuo smiled and said, "I don't want to lie to you, Michael. It is indeed difficult to win the championship. But if you can recover to a certain level in the summer, then in my opinion, it is not an extravagant hope for us to reach the conference finals in the new season."

By this time in 2001, the alliance's pattern of being strong in the west and weak in the east had basically been established.

Take the 2001/2002 season that Wang Shuo remembers, for example. There were five teams in the West that won 50 games, but what about the East? The answer is only two.

In Wang Shuo's eyes, the only team in the Eastern Conference that can really cause trouble for the Wizards in the new season is the New Jersey Nets coached by Byron Scott.

Right now, the Pistons haven't even assembled their future Big Five, and at best they are a team with a certain degree of competitiveness.

As for the 76ers, Raptors, Pacers, Hornets (Charlotte Hornets, which had not yet moved to New Orleans at this time, and are not the same team as the current Charlotte Hornets) and the like...

Let's be honest, when Cao Cao was drinking wine with Liu Bei and discussing heroes, did he look down on people like Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang?

Although Wang Shuo knew that the 76ers would soon become the only team that could win a game against the Lakers in the playoffs this season, after being severely beaten by Larry Brown for a year, Iverson was destined to be plagued by injuries.

If Wang Shuoji gotta is correct, next season's Eastern Conference Finals will be between the Nets and the Celtics.

The result was that the Nets defeated the Celtics, led by "Youthful Truth" Paul Pierce and "The Only Snail Shell" Antoine Walker, with almost no effort, with a score of 4-1.

Then what?

They were well-rested, but in the finals they were beaten 4-0 by the half-broken Lakers who had just been almost defeated by the Kings in the Western Conference Finals and whose fuel tank was almost exhausted by the Kings.

So, given the current competitiveness of the Eastern Conference...

Don't blame them for why many old fans often say that during this period, winning the Western Conference championship is basically equivalent to winning the NBA championship.

Therefore, as long as the Wizards can perform well, Wang Shuo does not think it is an impossible task to lead the Wizards into the divisional finals.

After hearing this, Jordan thought for a while and then said, "In your opinion, which position should we prioritize to fulfill your hypothesis?"

Wang Shuo answered without hesitation: "Inside line."

Looking at Wang Shuo, at that moment, Jordan felt that he saw something similar.

Coincidentally, he just happened to have a young inside player who was extremely talented and whom he wanted to recommend to Wang Shuo.

"Although we still need to perfect the specific details, the general framework of our offense will not change in the new season. Therefore, we need an inside player with the ability to evacuate and organize to help you sink to the low post." Wang Shuo said to Jordan, fiddling with the cutlery on the table and using the entire dining table as a tactical board.

As a result, Jordan suddenly realized...

seem......

The young player he wanted to recommend did not have such ability.

"Do we need to strengthen this center through trade or draft?" Jordan asked.

"If we can get the top three picks this year, there will be a player in this year's rookie draft who can fully understand our tactics." Wang Shuo said. (Note ①)

Jordan was a little puzzled and said, "Your tactics are similar to the triangle offense. Are you sure a rookie inside player can fully understand your tactics?"

Wang Shuo smiled slightly, revealing his fox tail again, and said: "In my opinion, he can not only fully understand this tactic, but he is also the combat force we urgently need right now, and can greatly enhance our overall strength."

Jordan was shocked and almost subconsciously asked the English version of "Who is this man? Whose general is he?"

So now comes the question.

At this critical juncture in 2001, is there really such an inside player who is both combat-ready and able to perfectly master the improved triangle offense designed by Wang Shuo?

The answer is, yes, there is.

Moreover, Wang Shuo's improved triangle offense actually borrowed from the triangle offense tactics used by the team that this future player will play for.

So, who is he?

At this moment, looking at Jordan, Wang Shuo did not keep anyone in suspense and gave his answer: "Paul Gasol."